Migrant workers reportedly earning higher wages as US employers struggle to hire

Migrant workers are reportedly getting more job opportunities with higher pay and conditions as U.S. employers struggle to maintain their businesses despite historically difficult working conditions.

According to the Wall Street Journal, many business owners are “paying extra for migrant workers” due to a shortage of free workers who are US citizens.

The report notes that the number of migrant workers taking up jobs includes both those with valid work permits and those without proper documentation and who entered the country illegally.

Luis Reyes, owner of Lauriol Plaza restaurant in Washington, D.C., told the newspaper that he resorted to putting up fliers in areas with a large concentration of migrants in order to increase the staff.

“The deficit is huge,” Reyes said. “It’s a terrible stress. Many times I have suffered from insomnia thinking about what we will do for the ministry.”

In December, Reyes reportedly increased payouts and handed out cash bonuses ranging from $250 to $5,000 to employees.

Accurate statistics on migrant wages are nearly impossible to come by, but the World Bank estimates that US remittances to Latin America jumped 9% last year to $142 billion, a sign that workers have more money.


Migrants
Migrants are reported to be seeking better pay and working conditions during a labor market crisis.
Helein Seidman

Construction jobs in Washington DC, where migrants were paid an average of $120 a day before the COVID-19 pandemic, are now offering $200 a day for the same job, Lenin Kalix, an Ecuadorian migrant who is a member of the United Workers of Washington. , DC, the magazine reported.

The publication interviewed several other migrants who spoke about wage increases and increased job opportunities since they arrived in the US.

Employers told the newspaper that the number of legal work visas available — only about 130,000 for fiscal year 2023 — is not enough to meet their workforce needs.

“We’ve never had more trouble filling our seasonal vacancies than we do now,” said small business owner Dave King, who runs the Lake George RV Park Campground in Queensbury, New York.


US border
The Biden administration has come under fire for its handling of the ongoing border crisis.
James Cave

U.S. employers had about 11 million job openings in December, compared with 5.7 million people looking for work, according to federal data. The labor drain has been particularly difficult for restaurants, construction firms, and other small businesses dependent on workers.

The national employment rate fell to just 3.4% in January – the lowest level since May 1969 – as US employers created a whopping 517,000 jobs. Last month’s hiring surge was driven by “growth in leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, and healthcare,” according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The labor market remains tight despite an ongoing series of Federal Reserve rate hikes designed to cool the economy and reduce inflation, which hit its highest level in decades last year.

This week, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and other politicians warned that the blockbuster January jobs report signaled the need for further rate hikes.

So far, the only clear signs of weakening labor market conditions have been in the tech sector, where industry giants such as Meta, Amazon and Microsoft have cut white-collar corporate jobs due to deteriorating economic conditions.

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texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

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